The Past is a Foreign Land

Aside from wanting to write the first NFL blog to quote LP Hartley, the purpose of my first blog post as an Eagles fan is to look back at the history of the NFL.

Don't worry, this isn't going to be a load of "fascinating" facts about when teams were founded and who had the most rushing yards in 1954.  Quite frankly, I find that kind of thing rather dull.  But what I do find interesting are the individual moments in sporting history that fans and players can talk about.  All sports have them, moments that everybody knows about, regardless of whether they were at the event or even alive when they happened.  Events like the Hand of God, the Duel in the Sun and Shane Warne's Ball of the Century.
Of course, television has been the key factor in shaping those memories.  Thanks to television, people under the age of 50, can have detailed conversations about whether Geoff Hurst's shot crossed the line in the 1966 World Cup Final.

When it comes to the NFL, special moments and matches are remembered fondly by fans thanks to - among other things - programmes on the NFL Network.  Most NFL followers are aware of events such as the Immaculate Reception and  and can talk extensively about the Tuck Rule and Tyree's Helmet Catch.  It is these memorable moments that I find interesting, and the stories that surround them.

Of course, it is all about the context of the moment.  Would The Hand of God be as well remembered if England had beaten Argentina?  Would Warne's magical delivery to Gatting be as revered if England had won the Ashes in 1993?  And would Tyree's Catch be part of NFL folklore if Manning had been picked off on the next play?

As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, one of the first things I wanted to do was to find out about some of the memorable moments in their history.  As it turns out, 2 of them are known by virtually the same name!

The Miracle at the Meadowlands refers to a bizarre end to a game against the Giants in 1978 - the Giants were ahead and running down the clock but for some reason they decided to try a running play instead of just taking a QB kneel...a fumble and a touchdown later and you've got one of the most absurd finishes ever to an NFL game. What makes this an even more remarkable story is that 32 years later the Eagles completed another improbable win against the Giants - this time at their New Meadowlands home.  In this game, the Eagles found themselves 21 points behind with just 8 minutes left, but a flurry of last touchdowns drew them level and then on the final play of the game Desean Jackson returned a punt all the way into the Giants end zone.
What makes these moments special is not just the unlikelihood of the Eagles winning, it's the method of victory, the uniqueness of the occurrences and the legacy of the incidents.  For example, since the Miracle in the Meadowlands, teams have adopted a "Victory Formation" when protecting a lead in the final seconds of a game.  Thus ensuring that the team do not lose possession whilst winding down the clock.

These incidents, as well as events such as McNabb's 4th and 26 conversion and the Body Bag game are the aspects of the Eagles history that I find fun to find out about.  It's all part of my journey of Eagles discovery, and next week I'll be looking at another important aspect of supporting a team - the rivalries!

Talking of Philadelphia, I'm thoroughly pleased that I've ended up as an Eagles fan.  I've been welcomed into the British Eagles family (Thanks Matt and James), introduced myself to members the Eagles US fan base and I'm getting to grips with learning about the Eagles team and expectations for this season.
To tie in with this, I'm going to write my next blog piece on the Free Agency period in the NFL.  Looking at the pros and cons of the system, how teams use the period and a bit about how the Eagles have approached Free Agency in recent times.